'Good Morning America' Goes Inside Apple's Secret Apple Watch Fitness Testing Lab

[bbeagle]

I'm still a little unclear on this. The Watch has an accelerometer to measure general movement like stepping and standing. But for an accurate measurement of distance travelled, or to understand the difference between cycling and running, it still relies on your iPhone's GPS and Wi-Fi.

So won't you still have to carry your iPhone with you when you run or workout to best measure your progress?

None of the fitness bands (FitBit, Jawbone, Nike Fuel, etc.) have GPS. They all rely on a few sensors to track your activities. These all require you to put it into a 'mode' to let the device know if you're walking, running, cycling or sleeping. The devices don't know what you're actually doing. People have been using devices like these for years, tracking their workouts.

Yes, in a perfect world, a GPS would make it better. But none of the fitness bands have GPS. Some smart watches do (like the Galaxy Gear S), but that is unreliable if you read the Samsung message boards.

So, nothing's perfect yet.

Edit: The Microsoft Band DOES have GPS, but is not waterproof.

 

[i.mac]

Apple sure is spending quite a bit of PR resources for this watch. I cannot recall any other Apple product that has garnered this much *intentional* attention prior to launching.

Figure this: apple's got the money, they're spreading the wealth around. Those who can will get a good product. Apple will get more money. Win for every one.

 

[darcyf]

None of the fitness bands (FitBit, Jawbone, Nike Fuel, etc.) have GPS. They all rely on a few sensors to track your activities. These all require you to put it into a 'mode' to let the device know if you're walking, running, cycling or sleeping. The devices don't know what you're actually doing. People have been using devices like these for years, tracking their workouts.

Yes, in a perfect world, a GPS would make it better. But none of the fitness bands have GPS. Some smart watches do (like the Galaxy Gear S), but that is unreliable if you read the Samsung message boards.

So, nothing's perfect yet.

Edit: The Microsoft Band DOES have GPS, but is not waterproof.

So what the Watch offers in terms of accurate fitness tracking is primarily the ability to monitor your progress from your wrist while your iPhone is still strapped to or pocketed on your somewhere.

This seems like a small step in the right direction*, but being able to leave your iPhone behind during a workout would be something to really get excited about.

*never, under any circumstance, will I ask to pardon a pun

 

[AppleScruff1]

Apple sure is spending quite a bit of PR resources for this watch. I cannot recall any other Apple product that has garnered this much *intentional* attention prior to launching.

They are trying very hard to make it a success. It is an unproven market so far.

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So you basically don't believe Apple can do something better than others..... Interesting point.

Quote on the contrary, I'm convinced they are going to surprise us with the watch.
Still non entirely convinced to buy one.

You're starting to come around. A week ago you had no interest in buying one at all.

 

[lchlch]

So what the Watch offers in terms of accurate fitness tracking is primarily the ability to monitor your progress from your wrist while your iPhone is still strapped to or pocketed on your somewhere.

This seems like a small step in the right direction*, but being able to leave your iPhone behind during a workout would be something to really get excited about.

*never, under any circumstance, will I ask to pardon a pun

i think the watch is able to monitor your activity even if you don't have your phone with you. There's no reason why it can't do that. It could technically store the data and then sync it to the phone when its able to.

 

[bchreng]

Last year I spent about $100 on a waterproof case for my iPhone 5s. It added enough bulk to the phone to make it impractical for anything other than underwater use, but it was lightweight. Used it a couple of times without incident, but on the third time it leaked water which damaged the phone, requiring its replacement.

I've just recently purchased a waterproof case for my iPhone 6. This one is extremely heavy and bulky and was more expensive, but it's built like a tank and can go well below 100 ft. underwater.

Why am I describing all this? To illustrate the fact that true, robust water resistance adds A LOT of bulk to any device. An Apple Watch with real water resistance (allowing you to swim and maybe snorkel with it) would have either made the Watch huge or would have dramatically shrunk the available space for the battery, eliminating the all day battery life.

I know that making the Watch really water resistant would have been a game changer, allowing people to stay connected at the beach or pool where their phones can't go. But I don't see it happening for a long while - until we see a great deal more evolution of battery technology.

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That's incorrect. The Watch can track steps and play music without an iPhone, although you lose GPS functionality.

It's more like a half-truth in that case. If you want to track the route you're running, then you need to have an iPhone right?

 

[Keirasplace]

So what the Watch offers in terms of accurate fitness tracking is primarily the ability to monitor your progress from your wrist while your iPhone is still strapped to or pocketed on your somewhere.

This seems like a small step in the right direction*, but being able to leave your iPhone behind during a workout would be something to really get excited about.

*never, under any circumstance, will I ask to pardon a pun

Again, on earth do you need GPS on your workout?

Please justify why the accelerometer, heart rate monitor and music player isn't good enough for a workout? That's all I've used for years.

GPS is actually LESS reliable for distance and speed... Why? Because of position jumping. I've tried quite a few times using the Iphone when going on fast walks during the winter, and my speed varies ridiculously because my position is not stable. Maybe software could filter out the outlliers and make an average... But, then what's the point of the GPS?

 

[WRX-SRQ]

But, maybe 99% of people buying the product in North America regularly watch "Entertainment Tonight"-type show ... Apple will be laughing all the way to the bank while we cringe and post here

As others have stated, it will work without the iPhone, you may not receive notifications or calls, but it will still keep track of the important details of your run.

Also, with 8GB of internal storage, you can load it with music and use that to listen to songs as you run. So no, you don't need to lug around your iPhone.

 

[darcyf]

i think the watch is able to monitor your activity even if you don't have your phone with you. There's no reason why it can't do that. It could technically store the data and then sync it to the phone when its able to.

But what data would that be? The Watch requires sensors to track and log the data in the first place. It can measure your basic movements with the accelerometer, but how does that turn into anything your iPhone can then translate into more accurate GPS-measured data later?

Unless I'm way off here, step counting can't be transformed into GPS data. You have either collected the data or you haven't.

 

[MeFromHere]

Tha's only if you need GPS to run; are you lost? Otherwise it works by itself.

Without GPS, my treadmill might end up in New Jersey or something.

All this time, I thought Homo Sapiens only evolved the ability to run after the treadmill was invented. Now a bunch of Very Wise people at MacRumors have taught me that it was actually GPS that gave us the ability to run.

Apple is DOOMED!

 

[iSee]

This is impressive.

Anyone can (and does) have a calorie number appear on a screen. This gives you some confidence that it might actually be fairly accurate, or at least consistent, across a wide range of activities, people and environments.

Which is pretty cool.

On the other hand, for general fitness, I don't think this really matters that much. That's really about doing *something* involving physical effort, and doing it *consistently*. For fat loss it's about having *some* calorie deficit, and doing it *consistently*. It doesn't really matter if it's 100 or 1000/day -- the only difference is how quickly you lose.

(For the vast majority of people who are potential owners of Apple Watches, general fitness and weight loss would be the major goals.)

Still, it's very cool they aren't just hand-waving over the details.

 

[darcyf]

Again, on earth do you need GPS on your workout?

Please justify why the accelerometer, heart rate monitor and music player isn't good enough for a workout? That's all I've used for years.

GPS is actually LESS reliable for distance and speed... Why? Because of position jumping. I've tried quite a few times using the Iphone when going on fast walks during the winter, and my speed varies ridiculously because my position is not stable. Maybe software could filter out the outlliers and make an average... But, then what's the point of the GPS?

If that works for you, great. Some people prefer more accurate data such as distance travelled, route covered, etc.

If you would like an example of how GPS is useful to your workout tracking, look no further than Apple's website where they have the following to say about it:

"Wi-Fi and GPS. Apple Watch uses the GPS and Wi‑Fi in your iPhone to help measure the distance you travel during the day or during workouts that can’t be measured in steps, such as cycling."

EDIT: Maybe the issue you're having with accuracy is because your Wi-Fi isn't turned on? It appears Apple is saying you need both for best results.

 

[2298754]

I want to buy one of these fitness trackers, but don't know what to get. Do any of these track your steps/distance/etc when you're on the treadmill/elliptical/step master, and do so accurately? I usually just input the data in manually on my iPhone, but it would be so worth it to spend the money on the Apple Watch, if it can do this stuff

 

[Mascots]

Again, on earth do you need GPS on your workout?

Please justify why the accelerometer, heart rate monitor and music player isn't good enough for a workout? That's all I've used for years.

Ideally, I'd like to keep track of the distances and paths I've travelled. Plus, GPS allows you to calculate an accurate from that data while relying on something like an accelerometer which uses a formula to estimate the distance is less accurate and not really possible for some forms of exercise.

But I digress. It's not something I require. Personally, I'll be running with only the watch.

 

[Soulweaponry]

Yet a no time did they think to include GPS in the watch or make it waterproof, i.e. make it a useful sports watch that you can use away from your iPhone. Ah...

Why does it need to be water PROOF? It's already water resistant so you can do pretty much anything just short of scuba diving with it

 

[WRX-SRQ]

Android fans, still mad?

It's funny, Android fans will still tout how Apple is late to the game and their precious Moto 360 is round and was first. But I bet you over a million dollars that Motorola, LG and Samsung didn't go this far with their watch. Those other watch companies simply slapped Android Wear (or Samsung's own software like Tizen) on their watches and called it a day. Hey look, you got notifications.

Currently, I'm a first gen. Pebble owner, but come April 10th, I'll be placing my pre-order for the Apple Watch Sport. Despite the fact that I love my Pebble, I'll be the first to throw it under the bus when someone calls it a "smartwatch." The Pebble is not a smartwatch, it's a glorified notification taker on a watch. You can't respond to emails or read them in full, you can't take calls on it, you can only use a button to answer them. There's no maps or built-in fitness tracker, no speaker, it doesn't play music, it only controls it. You can't use it to pay for something or view instagram or photo libraries. Essentially, Pebble is a Streetsmart Watch, it's okay, but not brilliant.

With the Apple Watch, Apple really did take their time and spent years making sure what they brought to the market was different. Again, sure it can do notifications and maps like Android Wear, but it goes way beyond what Wear can do and this video and Apple's attention to research proves this, they are coming to the market prepared. Once apps are made specifically for the watch and are no longer companion apps, it's popularity will explode.

 

[62tele]

I wouldn't even be surprised if Samsung launches their usual Apple smear campaign upon the AppleWatch release day.

Oh, you can bet there will be some of "-gate" controversy contrived by someone. (Whatever happened to "bend-gate"?)

It will be something like "pinch-gate" claiming the bands pinch people to the point of gangrene or something utterly silly.

Of course, we'll have the OCD types complaining of light leak in a totally dark room or some other horse hockey.

As for the reference to research kit, how many other companies sought out a way to accomplish this?

 

[tito2020]

I wouldn't even be surprised if Samsung launches their usual Apple smear campaign upon the AppleWatch release day.

They made the chips for apple why not?

 

[VO2Max]

I'm still a little unclear on this. The Watch has an accelerometer to measure general movement like stepping and standing. But for an accurate measurement of distance travelled, or to understand the difference between cycling and running, it still relies on your iPhone's GPS and Wi-Fi.

So won't you still have to carry your iPhone with you when you run or workout to best measure your progress?

I own a Garmin Forerunner 220 which also has an internal accelerometer built in as well as GPS. The accelerometer is automatically configured while running outdoors with the GPS enabled (there’s no additional manual configuration). The accelerometer tends to do well in most cases at your ‘normal’ pace, say if you just go out and always run the same pace everytime after it's configured using the GPS. Since I vary my paces throughout the week depending on what the workout calls for, it's not going to be as accurate outside of my 'normal' pace. I never run indoors, so I always rely on GPS as I like to see my pace in real time to make sure I'm hitting my splits. The accelerometer also measures cadence, which is fairly accurate IMO. Ideal cadence is 180 spm. I don't like being bogged down with stuff when I run and I hardly ever take my phone with me. That said and the fact that I rely on GPS for all my runs, I won't consider the apple watch until it has built in GPS.

 

[Karma*Police]

Anyone who thinks the other smart watches out there like the Pebble are on the same level as the Watch is sorely mistaken.

+1. You'll find smartwatches that does one or two things better, such as battery life or including a GPS, but it usually comes at a cost such as a crappy screen or battery life, respectively. I haven't seen anything that comes close to Apple Watch's overall capabilities in such a small size.

http://www.t-gaap.com/2015/3/17/10-apple-watch-technologies-that-crush-android-wear-1

 

[Soulweaponry]

None of the fitness bands (FitBit, Jawbone, Nike Fuel, etc.) have GPS. They all rely on a few sensors to track your activities. These all require you to put it into a 'mode' to let the device know if you're walking, running, cycling or sleeping. The devices don't know what you're actually doing. People have been using devices like these for years, tracking their workouts.

Yes, in a perfect world, a GPS would make it better. But none of the fitness bands have GPS. Some smart watches do (like the Galaxy Gear S), but that is unreliable if you read the Samsung message boards.

So, nothing's perfect yet.

Edit: The Microsoft Band DOES have GPS, but is not waterproof.

Fitbit surge has gps. You didn't do your research did you
https://www.fitbit.com/surge#i.zauee91eihd84p

 

[Trapezoid]

I wouldn't even be surprised if Samsung launches their usual Apple smear campaign upon the AppleWatch release day.

Naw I think Samsung realize how ineffective and stupid that campaign was since their profits plummeted.

Now they are back to the tried and true: do what Apple does.

 

[CaptainBlue]

Tha's only if you need GPS to run; are you lost? Otherwise it works by itself.

"You're running wrong"...

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An Apple Watch with real water resistance (allowing you to swim and maybe snorkel with it) would have either made the Watch huge or would have dramatically shrunk the available space for the battery, eliminating the all day battery life.

That's exactly what others have been doing for a while though without being huge or sacrificing battery life (and that new Garmin is a case in point). Even my wristwatch is waterproof to 100m and that's hardly bulky.

 

[Piggie]

Again, on earth do you need GPS on your workout?

Please justify why the accelerometer, heart rate monitor and music player isn't good enough for a workout? That's all I've used for years.

GPS is actually LESS reliable for distance and speed... Why? Because of position jumping. I've tried quite a few times using the Iphone when going on fast walks during the winter, and my speed varies ridiculously because my position is not stable. Maybe software could filter out the outlliers and make an average... But, then what's the point of the GPS?

To be honest, I've no idea why you need a watch, a phone or anything on your workout.
Why you need a watch or phone to tell you how long you have slept for.

I'm actually amazed the human race had got this far without these things

 

[CaptainBlue]

Why does it need to be water PROOF? It's already water resistant so you can do pretty much anything just short of scuba diving with it

...but not swimming either (from the Apple website):

"Apple Watch is splash and water resistant but not waterproof. You can, for example, wear and use Apple Watch during exercise, in the rain, and while washing your hands, but submerging Apple Watch is not recommended."

So triathlon or even general fitness swimming is out of the question.